Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1887-02-10
ST. VALENTINES DAY.
Its Origin, and Changes In It's Oh
Servanca

of February. It's she placed a handful
of light. ga,izy. raliously-colorcd cards
Ill her mothers lap.
''Mine are the hanaSomcst." declared
her brother Dura; SOC if they amt.
Girls always choose such dish-wnshy
things"
Mrs. Wilcox laid down her magazine,
and, taking the valentines, looked them
over carefully. She smiled gravely at
the gay-colOrc,l. ridiculous caricatures
of Dura's; evidently Gracc's pretty
triiLss pleased her hest,
But Dura did not observe his mother 3
look. There, that Onc,' he said,
pointing 10 an atrociousiy cumical pict-
urc representing donkey hraying.
and ii man sitting ustride its back. with
big, crooked nose and wall eyes sing
ing 70 girl ut "A ncighboring window:
Il sing TO you, my valentine
The love feel for you;
Iiy donkey feeds on dew,
But can't make this rhyme"
THAT l am going to send 10 Johnny
Rand You know he's cross-cyed, and
has got II big nose, and that will just
make him tearing"
''Duri, You must not do any such
thing" said his mother. very decided
]y. ''As II bit of fun, IA. harmless joke
between good friends, nothing need be
SAID against valentines; but to send
these anonymously to an enemy, or to
any extremely sensitive person may do
much mischief. Johnny is not to
blame for his eyes and irregular feat
nrcs. and your doggcrel valentine
would nSsllrc,l,y hurt his feelings"
"Wcll, l won't then; l will send it
instead TO poor little Jessie Caldmon.
the Irish girl; she will think 1t nice
enough"
Those are horrid-looking pictures,
Dura," observed his mother, handing
The collection back to him. They
are not much like the valentines they
used to send to one another in good Mr..
rcpys' day"
''Oh, tell Us about it, mother" plead
al Grace. when was thatp Did the
boys and girls back. oh. ever 80 long
ago, choose valentines, tOOv'
'Iho custom Of sending valentines is
Us old Is the hills" answered Mrs. Will
cox, land at one time It was fashion
able for Older persons, the married rs
well as single, to buy presents for val
cntincs. some of these presents were
very costly ones. Pieces of jcwclry
costing thousands of dollars were not
unusual, though cheaper things like
gloves, stockings and swcetmeats were
more common. This Mr.. Pcpys,
mentioned, was II gentleman who lived
more than two hundred years ago. in
the time of Charles III. of England. and
kept an interesting diary. He speaks
of many Of the curious customs of the
day. and tells us one time how he sent
his wife stockings and garters for her
valentine One year he says his wife
CHANGED 10 be his valentine, and
grumblcs because it will cost him five
pounds, which was good deal of
money In those days. AT another time
lac gave her Turkey stone set with
diamonds for u valentine.
''But perhaps you would like bcst what
hc has to say about valentines In an
other place" Mrs. Wilcox reached for
book in an open case and turned some
of the leaves. '.Ycs, here il is: Il find
that Mrs Pierce's little girl is my val
cntine, she having drawn me. which l
was not sorry for, it easing me of some
7 T.,
others. But here l do first observe the
fashion of drawing notices as well us
name, 50 that Ncru, who drew my
wife, did also draw IL motto. and this
girl drew another for me- What mine
was forgot, but my wife sAvas: "Most
courteous and most fair!" which. us it
may be used ns an anaSram upon each
name. might be very pretty"
"Oh. how funny" exclaimed Dura,
"but believe wouldn't Just like to
be drawn as in lottery; I'd rather
choose my own valentine"
That was an old English fashion.
The young folks were In the habit on
the eve of ST. Valentines Day of meet
ing together. and an equal number of
girls and boys would write their true
or feigncd name upon separate billets
which they rolled up and drew by lot,
the girls taking the boys billcts. and
the boys those of the girls. so that each
of the boys lighted upon girl that he
called his valentine. and each of the
girls upon lad whom she called hers.
After this the valentines gave balls and
treats to theirpartners. and wore thcir
billets severa! days upon their breasts
and sleeves"
''Who sent the first valentines,
wonderP" asked Grace, land have
they always kept st. Valentine s Day?'
'.St. Valentines Day looks out at us
from the dim shadow of the temples of
Rome" answered Mrs. Wilcox, land
the customs Of the day. like many other
customs, some of which are sacred to
the Christian church. dates to the heroic
days OF that pagan city. Only the day
bad another name then. They called it
the festisal of the Lupercal, and when
the day came round, which occurred in
the Ii iddle of February, there was great
STIR and bnisterous mirth among the
young folks Of the imperial city.
Among other customs the Roman lads
RGa maidenS wrote their names upon